Strange Weirdos
by Tsuki No Shuurai
Summary: My entry for the Five Days/Five senses challenge by Pinky Green. Love can be found in the most unromantic circumstances....Tonks/Severus. Musical inspiration from Loudon Wainwright III and Regina Spektor.
1. Chapter 1

**Monday: Sight**

She never looked unnoticeable.

"However did you complete Stealth and Tracking?" he asked sardonically the day she came to a meeting with a bubblegum pink crew cut, sporting huge gold hoops in her ears.

"I did," she said, giving him a scornful look. "That's all you really need to know."

He never thought she was pretty until the day she came in and took his breath away.

She had long, wavy red hair framing a heart-shaped face. Her lips were full and smiling. Her yes were green, framed by long lashes.

He could have drowned in those eyes.

He had done so before.

Her foot caught on the chair as she passed and shattered the illusion with curses. Lily hardly ever stumbled. She wouldn't have known the language that Tonks was flagrantly spouting either.

Still, it was hard not to look at her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tuesday—Hearing**

He came back the next day, to retrieve the notes Dumbledore had left for him. Thankfully, Black and the Weasleys were upstairs somewhere, ripping out moulding or whatever it was they did to clean up this wreck of a house.

He stopped outside the kitchen door. Inside, someone had a Wireless playing loudly. The pounding notes were totally unfamiliar. He pushed open the door.

Tonks was sitting by the Wireless, her hair bright pink and spiked, singing along to the lyrics in a discordant fashion. He winced.

She smiled vividly and turned the wireless down.

"You must have come for these," she said, holding out a sealed scroll. "Molly told me to give these to you when you arrived."

He took them. "May I ask what the racket is?"

"The Clash. Muggle band, but awesome."

"I was thinking more of ear-shattering, actually."

Tonks sighed and rolled her eyes. Then she steamrolled right over his rudeness and said, "Stay for tea?"

"No. Why should I?"

Tonks shrugged. "I thought it polite to invite you, but I guess if you'd rather not…."

She turned the Wireless up again and began once more to sing. Her warbling voice was more painful than musical.

It followed him as he closed the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wednesday—Scent**

The next day, she was on his doorstep. Her cheerful smile and turquoise locks stood out form the bleak surroundings.

"Hello," she said brightly.

"What are you doing here?" He tried to calm his heart, beating in a manner entirely unwarranted by the situation.

"I've a message for you." She held out yet another scroll. _Dumbledore had thought of something else for his faithful servant to do_, he thought bitterly. It wasn't enough that he spied, lied, and put his life in constant danger for the cause. _For that boy._

He took the scroll lightly between two fingers. "And why are _you_ carrying messages? Certainly there are a hundred other uses a fully credited Auror could be put to."

She grimaced. "No one thinks I'm ready. Too young and inexperienced, Mad-Eye says…not to mention clumsy."

"He is certainly right to fear for you on that front."

Tonks' eyes narrowed. "I wont rise to your bait, you know," she said calmly, and Disapparated.

He waited until she was gone to open the scroll. It was in Dumbledore's handwriting, but it smelled strongly of a warm scent like cinnamon, mixed with soap and freshly washed cloth.

It smelled like her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This one was inspired by Regina Spektor's "Better". Please R&R!**

**Thursday—Touch**

He didn't expect her to be back the next day.

It was one of those days; the days where he felt so miserable there hardly seemed any point in getting out of bed. He huddled on the sofa in his dusty sitting room, silently weeping, aware only of his pain and depression.

The door clicked and there was a curse as she stumbled in.

"What do you want?" he said, not turning, not willing to show her the tears on his cheeks.

She moved toward him, a veritable beacon of bounce and life, her boots clomping over the worn carpet.

"Severus," she breathed, kneeling beside him.

Her hand traced his jaw. The other hand was on his shoulder, so fragile and yet so strong. Her touch was spontaneous and almost accidental, very _her._

Her lips touched his cheek, softly, startling him. He hadn't felt such a touch in forever, hadn't felt the intimacy of lips against skin, of her hands on his shoulders, gently embracing him, holding him, rocking him.

"I want you to feel better," she murmured. "I don't want you to be so sad."


	5. Chapter 5

**Friday—Taste**

She was back the next morning, her hair an eyesmarting shade of lime green.

"You're so thin," she said, poking him. "Don't you ever eat?"

"I take care of myself."

"No, you don't," she responded, cheerfully. "I'm taking you out, since I'm not really proficient in the cooking department myself…"

An understatement. Countless times, Molly had tried to teach the girl to make toast before meetings; countless times, she burned them to charcoal.

Before he could protest, she took his arm in her hand and turned on the spot, Apparating into a small street full of early morning crowds, mostly bleary-eyed officials on their way to work. Typically enough, she tripped over her own boots and careened into him, almost knocking him over. He grabbed her wrist and held her up. For a brief moment, her hand rested against his chest, and she looked up at him, her lips parted slightly….

Then, the moment was broken and she was back on her feet and leading him into down a little side street and into a coffee shop. Inside, a short young man with spiked black hair looked up, turning down his Wireless as she entered.

"Hey, Tonks," he said. "Usual?"

Tonks nodded. "How do you take your coffee?" she asked Severus.

He shrugged. "Black."

"I thought so. Johnny, a black coffee and breakfast for two."

Johnny nodded. "The tables in the corner are free." He turned the Wireless back up and let the Weird Sisters fill the restaurant.

Tonks led Severus to the corner, where there were two empty circular tables. They sat down across from one another, silent. Tonks seemed almost shy, unusual for her, and Severus could feel the flush rising in his face as he watched her.

When their coffee came, they stayed quiet still, until the silence was broken by Tonks ripping open two packets of sugar and emptying them into her cup. "Johnny never puts enough sugar in," she said when she caught him staring. "Sometimes he forgets altogether."

"And did he? Or are you merely putting more in?"

"He remembered, but it's still not enough." She sipped at it. "Now. That's better. You should try it."

"I think I'll stay safe, if you don't mind," he said drily.

Tonks rolled her eyes. "You don't have to put it in yours." She shoved her cup across the table. "Go on. I don't mind."

When he hesitated, she rolled her eyes again. "Do you think I would have offered if I didn't mean it?"

He picked up the cup and took a cautious sip.

"Well?" she said.

He put the cup down.

She tapped her fingers impatiently.

He leaned across the table and took her hand in his, awkward and unsure. Her slender fingers were warm in his.

Neither breathed.

Then he leaned in closer and kissed her.

"Yes," he said, a few seconds later.


End file.
